Messenger call box



March 4, 1941. w. KIMMICH ETAL MES SENGER CALL BOX Filed May 22 1936 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WILLIAM KIMMICH AND HERMAN SCHNOOR gm ATTORNEYMarch 4, 1941. w. KlMMlCH ETAL MESSENGER CALL BOX 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed May 22 nlllillllfllfllll/Illftl INVENTOR WILLIAM KIMMICH ANDHERMAN scmuooa BY M ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATESMESSENGER CALL BOX William Kimmich, Flushing,

Schnoor, New York,

and Herman N. Y., assignors to Radio Corporation of America, acorporation of Delaware Application May 22,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and novel messenger call box or signaltransmitter of the code wheel type employed to calla messenger from acentral telegraph operating office to that of a client.

An object of this invention is to simplify and improve messenger callboxes, also to reduce the manufacturing costs of the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a substantial andreliable messenger call box which is capable of continuous use with aminimum amount of servicing.

This invention is an improvement over the invention of P. J. Barnesapplication Ser. No. 69,470, filed March 18, 1936, the principal drivingmechanism being substantially the same, except for the location of thespring tension member and its application being that of rotation insteadof straight elongation. Also, the general assembly of the componentparts is located within a circular casing.

A feature of this invention is the general efiicient arrangement of theapparatus within a suitable container to provide a neat appearing devicewhich has located on the front portion thereof a legend of courtesyappearing only when the apparatus is actuated and a call made to thecentral office.

The call box of this invention is briefly a selfcontained hand-woundclockwork mechanism which transmits electrical impulses from a codewheel. The clockwork mechanism consists of a spring-driven compound geartrain which is retarded by a centrifugal governor. The code wheel isfastened to one of the gear shafts and arranged to open and closecontact elements.

This invention will be more completely understood by referring to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved call box;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the call box with the cover removed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of Figs. 1 and 2, the section being taken online 33 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the section being takenon line 44 of Fig. 3; while Fig. 5 is a detail of a modification in theratchet w .eel arrangement.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the entire device is completelyenclosed by a metallic cover I, which is mounted upon an insulating basemember 2. The compound gear train is mounted between and/or upon a lowerplate 3 and an upper plate 4. Plates 3 and 4 are held 1936, Serial No.81,176

apart from each other by spacers 5, E and 7. Two of these spacers,namely and 6, serve also the dual purpose of acting as stop members.Insulating base 2 is fastened to plate 3 by a plurality of flat headscrews 3'. A windup arm 8 fashioned out to be representative of a flashof lightning is fastened to a shaft 9 and keyed on by means of a squareend portion I3. A sector gear H is secured to shaft 9 by any suitablemeans, such as a pin or screw i2. Energy to operate the gear trainmechanism is provided by a helical windup spring l3. This: springsurrounds a sleeve member M, which is free to rotate on the keying orcode wheel shaft l5. Secured to sleeve I4 is a small spur ear it and asingle tooth ratchet cam I! both of which are also free to rotate onshaft l5. Through the medium of a spring pawl 19 engaging the step onthe single tooth ratchet cam H, a spur gear i8 is driven when spring I3is wound up and knob 8 is released. One end of spring I3 is fastenedaround spacer 1 and the other end is firmly secured to sleeve 14.Securely fastened to code wheel shaft I5 is the spur gear I?! which hasprovided thereon one end of the ratchet spring or pawl It, the latterbeing secured to gear I 8 by angle 23 and rivets A pinion 2| has securedthereto a second spur gear 22, which engages and drives a second pinion23. On this pinion there is located the governor mechanism whichcomprises a shaft 24, weight 25, spring 26 and washer 2?. Friction isobtained by weight engaging the inner periphery of the governor brakedrum 28, brake drum 23 being secured to the underside of the upper plate4 by rivets 29. Plates 3 and 4 are secured to spacers 5, 6 and l bymeans of a plurality of screws 30. Upon the upper portion of plate 4there is provided a pair of contact springs 3| and 32 having contactpoints 33 and 34. Contact springs 3| and 32 are insulatedly secured toplate 4 by means of a block 35, insulating spacer 35, bushings 31 andscrews 38, electrical Contact being made to the springs by soldering atthe extended portion 3! and 32 to a pair of leads 40. Leads til arebrought through an aperture 42 in upper plate 4 and lower plate 3, andare carried out through a groove not shown in the lower portion of theinsulating base 2. The cover I is cut away for leads at a point 42'. Thecontact spring assembly is fastened to the upper plate 4 by two screws33. A code wheel 43 is securely keyed to shaft l5 by means of a key 44and locked in firm position thereon by a washer 45 and set screw 45. Thelower and upper plates 3 and 4 respectively are provided with apertures46, 41 and 48 located approximately 120 apart, through which a screwdriver can pass for fastening the call box to a wall by any suitablescrews, not shown. The operating knob 8 is relatively long and narrowand is shaped to represent a lightning flash. Directly below knob 38 inits inoperative position there is located a legend of courtesy 49, suchas Thank you shown dotted on the cover I of Fig. 1. Cover I is securedto base 2 by means of a plurality of screws 50. Also, knob 8 is securedto shaft 9 by means of screw 5|.

The modified ratchet wheel arrangement shown in Fig. 5 comprises a pawl60, made preferably of cold rolled steel or any other suitable hardmetal. A spring 6| bears against the back of pawl 60 and is secured togear l8 by angle 20 and rivets 20'. This modification is desirable whencall boxes are subjected to frequent use, as it prevents destruction ofspring l9.

The operation 'of the call box is as follows: When the knob B is turnedin a clockwise direction it in turn moves the quadrant H in a clockwisedirection until it is brought to a stop at spacer 5. The helical tensionspring 13 is thereby wound around sleeve l4 one complete turn and in sodoing, ratchet I! is also moved one turn until the single tooth engagesspring pawl l9. Now, if knob 8 is released, the energy stored up inspring i3 will cause ratchet l1 through the medium of spring pawl I9 torotate spur gear lBin a clockwise direction which also rotates pinion 2|and spur gear 22 in an anti-clockwise direction. The second pinion 23,to which the governor is fastened, rotates in a clockwise direction, thespeed being controlled by member 25 expanding due to centrifugal forceagainst the inner portion of brake drum member 28, the centrifugal forceexerting pressure in the form of friction against member 28 and thetrain of gears will then rotate with a substantial uniform motion. Thegear ratio is such that for each windup or motion of knob 8, onerevolution is obtained on the keying wheel shaft Hi. The cam actioncaused by the teeth-like code members on the outer periphery of codewheel 43 closes the normally opened contacts 33 and 34 on the contactsprings 3| and 32 which are connected to a recording instrument througha source of electrical supply, thus transmitting to the centraloperating office the code impulses thereby transmitted.

While only one form of call box is hereby described, it is distinctlyunderstood that this invention is not to be limited to the one shown,but is capable of other modifications and should only be limited by suchlimitations as are clearly im-' shaft common to said motor and ratchetWheel, a

spindle supporting said hollow shaft, a pawl-sup porting member fixed tosaid spindle, a resilient pawl mounted on said member and engageablewith said ratchet Wheel, said code wheel being mounted on said spindlein fixed relation to said pawl, speed governor mechanism geared to saidpawl supporting member, and means. for winding said spring motor in suchmanner that its associated ratchet wheel makes'one complete revolutionand said pawl rides once over the single tooth, thereafter to be drivenin the reverse direction by the ratchetwheel as the spring motorunwinds, the last said means having a. winding handle pivotallysupported outside the cover of said box and geared to the shaft of saidspring motor.

2. A code signal call boxcomprising a housing,

code impulsing means mounted within said housing, said means including apair of keying contacts and a keying cam the peripheral profile of whichis arranged to actuate one of saidcontacts thereby to transmit. apredetermined code combination, driving mechanism for said cam, saidmechanism having resilient means for storing driving power, twocoaxially rotatable spindles, a single-toothed ratchet wheel fixedlymounted on one of said spindles and driven by said resilient power.storage means, a pawl-carrier having a resilient pawl mounted thereonin position to en-, gage with the periphery of said ratchet wheel, saidpawl carrier and said keying cam being both fixedly mounted on the otherof said spindles, speed-governor mechanism geared to said pawlcarrier,and manipulatable means geared to said power storage means and extendingoutwardly of said housing for storing in said storage means the powernecessary to operate said code impulsing means.

WILLIAM KIMMICEH. HERMAN SCHNOOR.

